Valve structure for air-compressors and the like.



' J. W. GARDNER. VALVE STRUCTURE FOR m GOMPRBSSORS AND THE LIKE. APPLIOATIQN FILED JUNE 2, 1910.

7L 31, 8%,, Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. Wu GAR'DB TE'R'. VALVE STRUCTURE FOR AIR COMPRESSORS AND THE LIKE. I

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2, 1010. 1 1@'?,2,8& v Patented; Aug. 18, 191.4. Y r 2 8HEETS-SHEET 2.

ars n JOHN WILLIS GARDNER, 01F QUINCY, IELLINOIS.

Y Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Patented Aug. Lttl, this.

Application filed June 2, 1910. Serial No. 564,556.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that 1, JOHN W'nmrs GAR!) NER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Quincy, in the county of Adams and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Structures for Air-Compressors and the like; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, and to the letters of ref crence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in valve structures.

As shown and described herein, it is applied to the intake and discharge valves of air compressors and its use in such devices is especially advantageous.

The invention consists of the matters hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:Figure 1 is a vertical section through an air con'iprcssor provided with my improvements. Fig. is a partial vertical section th ough the cylinder head shown on the scale of a full sized cmnprcssor. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the cylinder head with the outer retaining cap removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the valve ring.

The drawings, Figs. 1 to 4-, inclusive, illustrate an air compressor of the verticaltype provided with my improved valve structures. Said air compressor is of any usual construction as to its main features and comprises a cylinder, a piston working in said cylinder, and a crank shaft, crank arm and connecting rod adapted to drive the piston.

\Vith more particular reference to Fig. 1, 10 is the cylinder; 11, the piston; 12, the connecting rod hinged to the piston; 13, the fly Wheel; 1 1, the air supply chamber from which the air is drawn into the cylinder; 15, a water jacket to cool the cylinder; and 16, an air-discharge chamber into Which the air is discharged from the cylinder in the action of the compressor and from which it is led by means of a pipe 17 to a tank or other receiver; and 18, the cylinder head.

The cylinder head is made in two parts, 18, 18, (see Fig. The bottom member 18" consists of a flat disk 19 which rests against an annular shoulder 11 formed within the end of the cylinders A centrally disposed, externally threaded, annular. boss 19 is formed on the upper surface of said disk. The top member 18 consists of concentric, radially spaced rings 21 connected by radial ribs 22; The outer ring 20 is of the same diameter as the disk 19 and both outer and inner rings rest on said disk. The inner ring 21 is of slightly larger diameter than the annular boss 19 on the bottom member 18 and is internally screw-threaded to receive the external thread of said boss.

23 indicates a set of annularly arranged narrow ports formed in the disk 19 between the inner and outer rings 20, 21 of the top member 18" of the head. Above said ports and between the rings 20, 21 is located a stop rib or ring 24 which is rigidly connected to the radial ribs 22. Between the top of the disk 19 and the lower face of the circnlar stop 24: is located a flat, thin valve ring 25 which is adapted to seat on the top of the disk 19 and close the ports 22-. The lift of the valve ring is limited by said circular stop.

The valve ring- 25 is made from a very thin, flat sheet of tempered metal havinggreat elasticity. Such metal as saws are made from is an example of material from which the valve rings are preferably made. The ports 23 are quite narrow in a direction radial of the cylinder head and the valve ring projects ateach side of said ports. The lower face of the rib 24s is located but a short distance above the face of the disk ,19, the

required lift of the valve being small. The

lower face of said rib is narrower than the width of the valve ring 25, which projects beyond it at each side, and is preferably serrated or otherwise roughened, as indicated at 24, to prevent the valve ring from sticking to it.

Owing to the resiliency of the valve ring and to the thinness of the metal from which it is made, it is not necessary to face the Sun face of the disk 19 forming the valve seat, and an air-tight joint is formed without grinding the valve seat and regardless of the condition of such seat, as to the presence of grit or other dirt. Asthe valve ring projeets at both sides beyond the StOP-ring 24,

a large area of the valve is exposed to the pressure in. the receiver, so that the valve 18 instantly seated at the end of the compres-' sion stroke without the use of springs or other similar closing means, By reason of the lightness of the valve ring and of its short lift the valve operates noiselessly withoutshock or jar, even when the compressor oi a cap 27 secured inv the usual manner to the outcnwall 10 of the 'cylimler. this construction the cylinder head may yield in case of any obstruction between the head and the piston, thus obviating any danger of breaking or otherwise damaging the parts.

"A valve constructionsimilar tothat provided in the cylinder head is located in the piston for controlling the intake vof air into the cylinder. The piston ll is'liollow, containing a chamber 11 and is provided with an annular space 11 surrounding the piston bodyand below the chamber lltwlnch communicates by large ports 11 with said chamber. Longitudinally spaced sets of annularly arranged ports 30, 31, in the cylinder wall connect the air supply chamber 14: with thecylinder, andare adapted to admit air to theannular space 11 surrounding the piston.

The piston'head is formed. in two parts,an inner member 32 made rigid with the-cylinder proper which inclosesthe upper end of the chamber 11*, and an outer member 33 in the form'of a Hat disk provided with. a centrally disposed, externally thread ed boss 33 which is screwed into an internally screw-threaded recess or opening 32 in the part 32. An annular projection 32 is formed onthe top faceiof the member 32 and against this projection rests the fiat disk '33. The member is of nearly the internal diameter of, the cylinder so that it projects radially beyond the annular projection 32'.

The two members 32, 33 are thus separated by an. annular space 32 which opens into the cylinder about the edges of the disk 33. A set of annularly arranged narrow ports 35,

formed in the melnber 32, connect the chain-- ber 11 with the said annular space 32 and a set of annularly arranged narrow ports 36 formed in the disk 33, radially within thep0rts'35, connect the cylinder with the said space 32". Thus air entering the annular space 32, from; the chamber 11 in the piston may escape-to the cylinder about the edges of the disk33 and also through the ports 36 formed in said disk.

37 is a fiegt valve ring made from a sheet of tempered metal like the valve ring used in the cylinder head. It is located inthe annular space. 32 between the two parts of the piston head in position to close the ports 35. Said valve seats on the member 32 of the, piston head and its lift is limited by the disk 33 which acts as a stop. The valve ring 37, as before, ,is substantially wider than the ports 35,

During the compression. stroke of the piston, after the piston has passed the'upper seto't ports 30, the air inclosed between the piston and the cylinder head will pass aboutthe edges of the. disk 33 and through. the ports: 30 and will thus come to bear on the valve ring 37,. and hold it seated in a position covering theports 35, thereby preventing the air from the cylinder from passing into the chamber 11. The compression of the air in the cylinder will cause the vah'c ring. 25 to lift and permit the compressed air to pass 'frorn the cylinder into the receiving chamber 16 in the usual manner; Upon the return stroke of the piston the pressure of the air in the receiver will immediately close the valve ring 25 upon its seat covering the ports '23 and the pressure of the air in the supp y chamber 14, which now communicates freely through 'the ports 30 and 31, the annular passage 11 and the chamber 11, with the ports 35 in the piston head, will lift the'valve 'ring37 to uncover said, ports 35, whereupon thcair may read ily escape at each side; of the valve ring throughthe ports 36 and about the edges of the disk into thecylinden.

The ports 30; 31 are separated nally by a distance the top of the member 3201. the cylinder head so that at the end of the return stroke,

longitudireater than the length of the piston from theannulari'space 11" to i when the piston covers the lower ports 31,

it uncovers the upper'ports 30. Byv this arrangement the inrush of air during the return stroke to the piston chamber 11 is first partially cut oft by closingthe upper ports 30 and then entirely shut citby closing the lower ports 31. As the ports 31 are closed, the upper ports 30 are opened above the piston head, thereby permitting air to enter the cylinder directly from the supply chamber and the-valve ring37. to drop into position eoycring the ports 35 in readiness for the compression stroke.

As described and illustrated above, the ports covered by the fiat thin valve members are narrow and said yalve members themselves are' in the form of rings. Neither of these features are essential as the valve ring may be of any shape provided it is made of flat, thin, elastic metal, and the ports may be oi: any width to give the required portarea', provided the valve seat has sufficient superficial area for the flat, thin, elastic valve member-to closeupon, and is so constructed as to furnish narrowly se arated supports to prevent the thin, movab e valve member from bending under the pressure exerted'by the air or other fluid against it.

I claim as my invention f 1. A valve structure, comprising a ported seat, a stop spaced above said seat, a free, floating, unguided valve ring made of thin, flexible sheetmetal and of dimensions such as to require but little lift, said valve ring being adapted to move between'sa'id seat and said stop to open and close the passage through said seat-and being so located as to permit discharge-at both its inside and outside edges.

-2. In-an air compressor, in combination with the cylinder and a discharge chamber located Without said cylinder, a wall int-erposed between said cylinder and discharge member, said wall being provided near its marginal edge with annular separated slots tornnng ports, a floating movable valve ringconsisting of a thinflat annulus of allowing a rotary and limited lateral shift mg movement of the same, said stop having "eat-la lateral edge thereof spaced inwardly from the lateral edges of said movable valve ring in anyposition of the same, whereby the fluid passing through said annular slots, passes around each lateral edge of the valve ring member and each lateral edge of the annular stop member, thus exposing the lateral edges of said valve ringmelnber to the pressure of the fluid in the discharge momher so that said valve will readily close on its seat.

3. In'an air compressor, in combination 35 with a cylinder, a'wall closing the end of said cylinder comprising a fiat disk provided witha centrally disposed, externally screw-threaded boss on its outr face, concentric, radially separated, rigidlv connected 40 rings bearing against the outer face of said disk, the inner ring being provided with screw-threads to receive said boss, said disk being provided with a plurality of 'annularly arranged ports intermediate said rings, a 46 flat valve ring of thin, elastic metal adapted to close said ports, a stop ring rigidly supported between said concentric rings a short distance from the surface of said disk, said stop ring having a face adapted to be en- 50 gagged by said flat ring and limit the inoveinent thereof, said face being narrower than said valve ring, and said disk being provided with narrowly separated supports for said valve ring.

. In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of May A. 1). 1910.

' JOHN WILLIS GARDNER.

- \Vitnesses:

GEORGE A. WALL, ARTHUR H. RAPP. 

